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A review by clair_amelia
A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée
3.0
I read this as an adult who works with middle school students. Personally, it was a little too political for my taste, but it was well-written, I found the dialogue to be a little forced and lacking depth or relevance to the story at times, but I also found the characters realistic and relatable. Much of Shay's experience in changing friendships reminded me of my own. I was impressed with the inclusion and relevance of certain real-world events and things that have happened in recent history. Although I feel that there are small points in the book that are presented as fact instead opinion/personal experience, I still enjoyed the book.
My biggest issue with the book was that Shayla, the main character, who is African American, made a point to say that people who look like her are being shot because of what they look like, and Asians and Latin Americans are not. That felt both belittling to their experiences as minorities and also victimizing to Shayla as an African American. I would love to see a spin-off book for each of her best friends so that readers can learn more about the experiences of other minorities.
My biggest issue with the book was that Shayla, the main character, who is African American, made a point to say that people who look like her are being shot because of what they look like, and Asians and Latin Americans are not. That felt both belittling to their experiences as minorities and also victimizing to Shayla as an African American. I would love to see a spin-off book for each of her best friends so that readers can learn more about the experiences of other minorities.